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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVUS A. RAASCH AND HENRY FAHRMEIER, OF HIGGINSVILLE, MISSOURI; SAID RAASOH ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES HOEFER, OF SAME PLACE.

PNEUMATIC STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming" part of Letters Patent No. 576,149, dated February 2, 1897. Application filed January 30, 1896. Serial No. 577,449. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GUSTAVUS A. RAASCH and HENRY FAHRMEIER, of Higginsville, Lafayette county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Straw-Stackers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Our invention relates to pneumatic straw- .stackers, and more particularly to a machine of this character which shall be susceptible duce means to regulate the quantity of the straw and the rapidity with which it is fed, and a still further object is to produce such a machine embodying in a high degree simplicity, strength, durability, and inexpensiveness of construction. 1

With these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of constructionand combinations of parts. In order that it may be fully understood, we will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of our'improved straw-stacker. Fig. 2 is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a spiral conveyer provided with fan-blades at one end. Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective to illustrate more clearly the form and arrangement of said fan-blades. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, where similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures, A designates a straw-receiver, which is approximately U shaped in crosssection and corresponds about in length to the width of the discharge end of the strawcarrier of a grain-threshing machine, so that as fast as the straw is discharged from the carrier it falls into said receiver. lxtending axially of said receiver and also of a circular casing H, communicating with the receiver at one end, is a shaft E, suitably journaled, and

mounted upon its projecting end is a pulley .B to receive motion from a belt. (Not shown.)

The end C of the receiver opposite from the casing is provided'with an opening 0 the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

O designates a cylinder, which is mounted a spiral flange or blade D, which inclines toward the end of the cylinder which projects into said casing, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. This cylinder and spiral flange or blade constitutcs what we shall hereinafter term a spiral conveyer.

Mounted upon the end of the spiral conveyer, projecting into the cylinder, are a series of fan-blades E. Said fan-blades .extend approximately parallel to each other and at a slight angle to the axis of the conveyer, that is to say, their longitudinal disposition is such that their front or inner ends, or those which are adjacent to the spiral conveyer, are advanced (with respect to the rotation of the shaft) beyond their rear or outer ends, or those ends in the vertical plane of the rear end of the cylinder 0. Said blades abut at their outer ends against the disk or flange F, secured to the cylinder, but of greater diameter than the same. At their inner ends said fan-blades are bent outwardly with reference to the axis of the conveyer, so as to stand at about right angles to the surface of the cylinder.

The disk or flange F servesnot only to support the outer end of the fans, but also to prevent the straw crowding or wedging between the disk and the outer side or wall of the casing, while the outwardly-bent ends of the fan-blades are adapted to resist any backward movement of the straw after it has been fed into'the casing, and consequently prevent the same from accumulating at the mouth of the casing by concentrating it within the same, so that it may all be positively and re- 5 liably forced upward through the dischargetube M, com mnnicating with the casing above the series of fan-blades, or fan, as it will be hereinafter termed. The lower end of said tube is preferably provided with a flange N, which rests and is supported upon, in any suitable manner, the flange K of the casing.

In order to regulate the quantity of straw which is fed to the fan by the conveyer, we have provided a vertically-adjustablc gage board 0, provided with a pair of vertical slots P, engaging the clamping-screws Q, projecting outwardly from the casing above the conveyer. By this arrangement it is obvious that the opening I or point of communication between the receiver and the casing may be increased or diminished at will. This adj ustable board will be manipulated according to the condition of the grain, that is, whether damp or dry, and the power of the driving machinery.

In order to prevent straw being carried around by the fan beyond the mouth of the tube M, we employ the guard-plate R, which is approximately V-shaped in cross-section, with its apex projecting inwardly and arranged contiguous to the edge of the fan, that it may reliably remove from the fan any clinging straw, which will consequently be forced by the blast up through the tube M. If this'plate was not employed, it is probable that the operation of the machine would be very erratic and irregular and that it would become frequently choked up and would have to stop until the accumulation of straw could be removed. Should it become choked up anyway, the turn-buttons S, which secure the plate in place, may be manipulated and the plate removed until the obstruction be gotten out of the way, which of course only takes a few moments of time.

In. the practical operation of the machine motion is imparted to the conveyer and fan and the straw is fed into a receiver and moved longitudinally in the direction of and into the casing by means of the spiral conveyer. This movement, however, is made more positive and reliable owing to the fact that the conveyer partakes of the function of the fan by reason of inclining the same toward the casing, as indicated in Fig. 2. By reason of such inclination and of the fact that the receiver has the opening 0 in its outer end an air-blast is created, which passes in through said opening and, moving toward the casing, acts to assist the conveyer in feeding the straw into said casing and also to assist the fan in forcing the straw up through the discharge-tube, or, rather, cooperating with the fan, a more powerful air-current for forcing the straw up through the tube is created. By reason of the fact that the fan.- blades extend at a slight angle to the axis of the conveyer an angle slightly less than a right angle, or, in other words, an acute angle, is formed between the advanced or front side of each blade and the disk or flange F, so that the tendency of the straw to move outwardly from such position is resisted by the inclination of said blades, as well as by the outwardly turned or bent portions G of the same. In other words, the straw packed in front of the fan-blades and against the end disk or flange is compelled to remain there until it comes opposite the discharge-tube and is dislodged because intercepted at this point by the powerful air blast or current passing through the tube.

Thus it will be seen that a continuous stream of straw passes up through the tube as long as the supply is kept up and the operation continued. .It will also be seen that we have produced a straw-stacker which is positive and reliable in operation and which embodies the advantageous features enumerated in the statement of invention.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pneumatic straw-stacker, comprising a suitable receiver, a circular casing communicating therewith at one end, provided with a discharge-tube, a rotating shaft arranged axially of the receiver and the casing, a spiral conveyer mounted rigidly upon the shaft within the receiver, a fan mounted rigidly upon the shaft within the casing, and having its blades extending at an angle to the axis of the shaft and bent forwardly or in the direction of rotation, as at G, at the ends adjacent to the conveyer, and a disk or flange at the opposite end of said blades, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with a suitable receiver, a casing communicating with one end of the same, a rotating shaft extending longitudinally of the receiver and axially of the casing, a spiral conveyer mounted rigidly upon said shaft within the receiver, a fan within the casing and also mounted upon the shaft, and an adjustable gage-board secured to the casing and adapted to regulate the volume of air and straw passing from the receiver to the casing, substantially as set forth.

3. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with a suitable receiver, a casing communicating with one end of the same, a rotating shaft extending longitudinally of the receiver and axially of the casing, a spiral conveyer mounted rigidly upon said shaft within the receiver, a fan within the casing and arranged to turn with said shaft, clamping-bolts projecting from the casing, and a slotted gage-board mounted upon the clamping-bolts projecting from the casing, substantially as. and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with a suitable receiver and a casing communicating with one end of the same and provided with a discharge-tube, of a rotating shaft arranged longitudinally of the receiver and axially of the casing, a spiral conveyer and a fan upon said shaft, the conveyer being In testimony whereof We affix our signalocated within the receiver and the fan within tures in presence of two witnesses. the casing, and a detachable guard-plate 010s- GUSTAVUS A. RAASOH. m an openin 1n the casin and progectinp' mi 5 ini vardly thereof adjacent ti) said fan, so as HENRY FAHRMEIER' to prevent the straw being carried beyond the \Vitnesses: mouth of the tube of the casing, substantially J. H. FUHR,

as set forth. FRED SCHOPPENHORST. 

